There's no denying that Hollywood is not the greatest friend of the ageing process. Looking young and glamorous is part and parcel of life on the red carpet and the silver screen. So what happens when that tell-tale sign of getting on a bit starts to plague the beautiful people of Tinseltown?
Very little ages a glamorous individual like hair loss. The first signs of a receding hairline or thinning on top are instant indicators that a big star is starting to near the end of their career and, unfortunately, a thinning do is all too obvious under the glare of the spotlights.
The problem is that youth is worshipped in Hollywood. The media love the young, beautiful and sexy. Youth, fertility and virility are all highly desirable traits which keep movie-goers and fans fascinated – and the money rolling in (along with big roles).
Unfortunately, old age and ill health are less desirable traits, both of which can sometimes be indicated by hair loss. In a shallow world where image is everything, maintaining a healthy crop of locks is a big priority for the stars of stage and screen. So who's been covering up their bald spots in Tinseltown? We take a closer look at the scalps of some Hollywood's favourites...
John Travolta
One of the most notorious balding heartthrobs in Hollywood, Travolta has not managed to hang on to the lush dark locks of his Saturday Night Fever days. He has been unable to prevent his hair from thinning and has instead supposedly been relying on hair loss concealer methods including additional hair pieces to hide the ravages of time on his once slicked-back scalp.
Ben Affleck
Proof that hair loss can hit any hunk; Affleck is a younger star with what seems like the whole world staring intently at his hairline. Affleck's thinning barnet has been the subject of much debate and fascination in the media for over 10 years now and poor old Ben is likely heartily sick of it.
Rumours suggest that he has been balding from the front with his hairline hit hardest, yet recent paparazzi snaps instead show a significant bald patch at the back which is cleverly disguised in later, candid photographs. Whatever Ben is using to hide his thinning hair is keeping everyone guessing. We suspect the use of a hairpiece at the front, supplemented by a hair loss concealer like KeraFiber to hide the bald patch. A great solution!
Al Pacino
Mr Pacino has apparently been staving off the ageing process for many years now with clever facial plastic surgery, yet his waning locks are certainly starting to show his age. We hear that Al's been covering up a growing bald patch on the top of his head with a pretty convincing hair piece for a long time, but in recent shots it's clear that the front of his once marvellous mane is now wearing thin. This area is more difficult to hide with a hair loss concealer, especially since Al favours a long, bouffant look...
Matthew McConaughy
Another balding star surrounded by media curiosity. McConaughy was thinning in the mid 2000s but in recent years his hair has looked much thicker and happier, leaving the paparazzi to pose the question: “what happened?”
McConaughy later opened up in an interview with Elle, stating that instead of the suspected surgery, he had been using medical treatments to bolster his barnet. Though he also claimed that cutting his hair during the full moon was helping...so we're not entirely sure what to believe. His hair strategy has certainly proved effective though, probably more-so than the full moon strategy!
